Campus Life | The Setonianhttp://www.thesetonian.com
The Voice of the Seton Hall CommunityMon, 17 Dec 2018 01:54:30 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.1ARC tutors learn time management skills amid final exam seasonhttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/16/arc-tutors-learn-time-management-skills-amid-final-exam-season/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/16/arc-tutors-learn-time-management-skills-amid-final-exam-season/#respondMon, 17 Dec 2018 01:54:30 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25485The Ruth Sharkey Academic Resource Center (ARC) hosted its traditional end-of-the-semester event in the Main Lounge, titled “SHU Tutopia,” on Dec. 11. The tutors, who are all Seton Hall students, offered their help and service to students by helping them prepare for exams while also preparing for their own exams. Samantha Sellars, a senior elementary […]

]]>The Ruth Sharkey Academic Resource Center (ARC) hosted its traditional end-of-the-semester event in the Main Lounge, titled “SHU Tutopia,” on Dec. 11. The tutors, who are all Seton Hall students, offered their help and service to students by helping them prepare for exams while also preparing for their own exams.

Samantha Sellars, a senior elementary special education and English major, said when tutors enter “finals season,” they need to ensure that their work is done prior to when they are planning to tutor. They also need to make sure that they will be able to have time for their own studying needs along with the time that they set aside to tutor, she said.

Adrian Chavez/Staff Photographer

“For example, I am going to be doing most of my studying this week so that during finals,” Sellars said. “I just need to continue going over material, but the majority of my studying is complete.”

Sellars said she believes that it is not that difficult of a transition between setting time aside to tutor during the year and setting aside time to tutor during finals season at SHU Tutopia because tutors already know how to ensure that they can complete their work throughout the year while also tutoring.

Josh Steier, a first-year graduate student and physics major, said he previously volunteered to tutor at SHU Tutopia as a math learning lab tutor and a tutor for athletes. “To accommodate different learning styles, I present the information differently,” Steier said. “Some people learn visually right, so I would draw a diagram to explain.”

Steier said if student tutors have good time management skills and have the time to prepare the student for exams, they can prepare the student by coming up with study plans and know which topics are on the exam. “The more problems the student works on, the better they perform,” he said.

Ryan Brown, a sophomore nursing major, believes that the most important skill to have as a tutor is time management. “You have to set certain days when you can fit in studying time,” Brown said. “So you don’t have to cram after-tutoring hours.”

Brown said he learned how to set up a schedule for studying, knowing he would be working from 3 to 6 p.m. “Since I am a nursing major and I tutor anatomy, visuals are essential for doing well,” he said. “If I am going over a certain topic, I make sure to cater to everyone’s needs, either by drawing pictures or showing videos to students in order to help them understand the material better.”

Matthew Carden, a senior sports management and information technology management major, said his experience as a tutor is a great opportunity to put time management skill into effect with the goal of seeing overall success of all Seton Hall Students.

“SHU Tutopia is a great opportunity for last-minute reinforcement before the final exam stretch,” Carden said. “We try our best to adapt to different learning styles and we learn different ways to form our peers to solve similar issues.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/16/arc-tutors-learn-time-management-skills-amid-final-exam-season/feed/0SHU lights up holiday spirit on campushttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/shu-lights-up-holiday-spirit-on-campus/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/shu-lights-up-holiday-spirit-on-campus/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 04:19:53 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25363Seton Hall kicked off the holiday season with its ninth annual tree lighting ceremony on the evening of Dec. 3. The event was filled with students singing Christmas carols and sipping hot cocoa. For many students, the Christmas Tree Lighting signifies the end of the semester and the beginning of a new year. This year’s […]

The event was filled with students singing Christmas carols and sipping hot cocoa. For many students, the Christmas Tree Lighting signifies the end of the semester and the beginning of a new year.

This year’s tree was lit with more than 40,620 brand-new LED lights by University President Mary Meehan; Alijah Vanterpool, a freshman nursing major; Daniel D’Amico, a senior public relations major and president of the Student Activities Board (SAB); Brenda Knight, Chief Shop Steward, Local #153; and SHU alumnus Robert Tarte.

Several student music groups performed at the ceremony, including the Seton Notes, the Seton Hall Sapphires, the Immaculate Conception Schola Cantorum, Concert Band, Pep Band and the University Choir. The Gentleman of the Hall and Pretty Sharp joined together to reenact their recent performance at Radio City Music Hall on Dec. 1.

Students also had the opportunity to take a picture with the Seton Hall Pirate or with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear at its photo booth.

Brian Connor and Daniel Mullen, both senior public relations majors, said that Christmas at the Hall is their favorite time of year. Connor said, “The tree lighting is one of my favorite traditions at Seton Hall.

This years was the best because there was no rain. I also really thought the photo booth concept the SAB introduced was a cool idea.”

Connor explained that Christmas at the Hall is an amazing time and that students can feel school spirit.

“I had an amazing time with my friends and it’s a perfect way to de-stress right before finals,” he said.

Mullen said that since his freshman year, he has always had a good time at the Christmas Tree Lighting.

“I always have a good time and it is really fun to experience an event like that with your friends,” Mullen said. “Sometimes it can get a tad bit boring but the school always does a good job with making sure everyone is entertained.”

For both Connor and Mullen, this was their last tree lighting at Seton Hall. “I wouldn’t say that I am sad about it being my last Christmas Tree Lighting, but I would definitely say that it is a special occasion that I am going to miss,” Mullen said.

While Seton Hall’s winter occasions have come to an end for some, others have just begun experiencing the tradition. Lauren Mellerup, a freshman nursing major, said she went to the Christmas Tree Lighting because everyone was talking about how Seton Hall is the number one Christmas school in America.

Mellerup said her favorite moment of the night was when they lit the tree. “The tree lighting was really long and boring,” Mellerup said. “But at the same time, it was nice to have time to do something with my friends before finals.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/shu-lights-up-holiday-spirit-on-campus/feed/0Students rock a capella at Radio City showhttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-rock-a-capella-at-radio-city-show/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-rock-a-capella-at-radio-city-show/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 04:15:39 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25358The Gentleman of the Hall and Pretty Sharp opened the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Dec. 1. The groups joined together to perform “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and Pentatonix’s version of “Hallelujah” onstage. Sean Davis, a sophomore pre-science major, sang with the Gentlemen of the Hall, an […]

]]>The Gentleman of the Hall and Pretty Sharp opened the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Dec. 1.

Photo courtesy of Claudia Emanuele/Staff Writer

The groups joined together to perform “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and Pentatonix’s version of “Hallelujah” onstage.

Sean Davis, a sophomore pre-science major, sang with the Gentlemen of the Hall, an all-male a capella group. He said the group rehearsed frequently, individually and as one, leading up to their performance.

Davis said he personally found “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” more challenging since he had a solo in the piece.

The timing was the most important and challenging part of both songs, he said. “My favorite moment in the entire experience, would be the first time that everything just clicked into place,” Davis said. “We had all the dynamics correct and everyone was in the same moment.”

“Singing at the Rockettes was unbelievable, we could not have had a better group than we had going in.

We definitely did our best performance there,” Davis said. “I want to thank Gentleman of the Hall and Pretty Sharps for the experience. Without their group leadership I would have a lot less experiences and a lot less friends than I would have today.”

Phoebe Hall, a sophomore religious studies major, was in the audience watching the group performance. Hall said she especially enjoyed “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

“It began with the usual slow tune,” Hall said. “But then after the words, ‘the most famous reindeer of all’ the soloist paused, counted to four and began a fast-paced rendition of the chorus with the rest of the group. I really enjoyed watching that song as well as ‘Hallelujah.’”

Hall added, “Although they were only on the stage for five minutes, they left a lasting memory for me as an audience member, as well as a friend of a performer.”

Jordan Green, a junior secondary education and music and theatre major, discussed his experience as the music director for Gentlemen of the Hall. “The purpose is to provide an opportunity for guys that have a passion for singing and performing and also to give back to the Seton Hall community,” Green said. “The Gents are like a family.”

Green credits Pretty Sharp for arranging the performance and inviting them to perform at Radio City Music Hall with them. Green said he felt the performance went really well. He said they were well received by the audience and had a lot of fun. “It was an amazing feeling to know that we would have an opportunity to perform at such an iconic place,” he said.

Green said the group had to rehearse two to three times a week at the beginning of the semester, and then eventually every day as the performance date came closer.

He said his favorite moment was the group’s victory trip to Five Guys and the Nintendo store to celebrate their successful performance.

Green said, “We hope to do more big performances in the future. It was really tough getting everything together, but everyone rose to the challenge and our group is now better for it.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-rock-a-capella-at-radio-city-show/feed/0Former student impacts gaming worldhttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/former-student-impacts-gaming-world/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/former-student-impacts-gaming-world/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 04:13:14 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25353A Seton Hall student is turning her dream into a reality by becoming involved with the video game community as a professional video gamer. Meghan, who goes by Meg Kaylee online for privacy reasons, has built an empire in the gaming community through an online streaming service called Twitch. Kaylee said her online presence began […]

]]>A Seton Hall student is turning her dream into a reality by becoming involved with the video game community as a professional video gamer.

Photo via Instagram/@meg_kaylee

Meghan, who goes by Meg Kaylee online for privacy reasons, has built an empire in the gaming community through an online streaming service called Twitch.

Kaylee said her online presence began on Instagram and YouTube, where she created gaming content and discovered a community that shared a focus similar to her own. She later expanded and built a home within Twitch, which allows members to watch alongside other gamers as they play from home.

Similar to the concept of YouTube, members can subscribe to their favorite channels and accounts. With enough subscribers, members can get paid for their time on the site. “I started my first stream on Oct. 16 [2015] and I became addicted immediately,” Kaylee said. “I loved the community, I loved the interaction and I loved what I was able to do through the platform.”

The website isn’t just a stage for players to display their talent, she said; it became a forum for members to discuss their interests and debate techniques while joining together in their common interest of gaming. This sense of unity and camaraderie is what Kaylee said drew her and many like her to join the site and develop relationships with anyone who had internet access.

Kaylee said after getting her footing, she became dedicated to her channel and watched as her followers grew by the thousands. Building a career in the video game industry was “always the dream,” she said. “I daydreamed about working in the industry and surrounding myself with people that loved what I loved.”

As her fan base continued to flourish, Kaylee said she decided it was time to focus her energy into streaming full time. “She was so passionate and so happy to be doing what she was doing, she literally glowed and her face lit up so I knew it was something that we had to let her explore,” said Adrienne, Kaylee’s mother. Kaylee had attended Seton Hall for a time before pursuing her work full time.

“I told her that college is not for everyone and finding yourself sometimes in life is a difficult challenge.

She was lucky to find her niche early,” Adrienne said.

The name Meg Kaylee grew in the gaming world, and with her success came opportunities. After working with GameStop for three years, Kaylee was offered a hosting position for GameStopTV (GSTV), a role that placed her on every television screen in their stores nationwide, she said.

Working to expand her role at GSTV, Kaylee recently became a writer for different segments within the program. “In the future, I would love to be able to host and produce a show within the gaming space,” Kaylee said.

Desires like these are no stretch for Kaylee, said her family and friends who describe her as “strong-willed” and “extremely goal oriented.”

“I’ve watched her become a lot more confident in herself which has been not only amazing to see but an inspiration to me as well,” said Charlie, Kaylee’s boyfriend.

Kaylee said she is grateful to the Twitch community for allowing her to combine two of her passions: gaming and charity. With the help of her over 46,000 subscribers, Kaylee said she and her stream team have raised close to $20,000 in toys for the Toys for Tots foundation and over $200,000 for St. Jude.

“Streaming presents an amazing opportunity to put your true, genuine self out there and connect with others,” Kaylee said. “No matter who you are, you’ll find people who vibe with you. Don’t overthink it.

Just go for it and try it out.”

Eilish Montgomery can be reached at eilish.montgomery@student.shu.edu.

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/former-student-impacts-gaming-world/feed/0Students review first semester at IHS campushttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-review-first-semester-at-ihs-campus/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-review-first-semester-at-ihs-campus/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 04:10:31 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25349Seton Hall nursing students are now wrapping up their first semester at the new Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus since its opening in the spring. Students shared their thoughts on adjusting to the new campus. Marie Foley, dean of the College of Nursing, described the adjustment the nursing students faced as “interprofessional.” In the beginning, […]

]]>Seton Hall nursing students are now wrapping up their first semester at the new Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus since its opening in the spring. Students shared their thoughts on adjusting to the new campus.

Amanda Courtney/Staff Photographer

Marie Foley, dean of the College of Nursing, described the adjustment the nursing students faced as “interprofessional.” In the beginning, Foley described the college’s adaptation to the new campus as a change, but overall, she said students adapted very well.

However, there was a slight commuting issue among students, with Nutley being approximately 10.3 miles from Seton Hall’s main campus in South Orange. Some students said they were faced with finding their own transportation to clinical labs.

Esmeralda Pacheco, a senior nursing major, said the commute to Nutley was actually better for her and closer to her hometown of Bloomfield, N.J. “I know from other students in the beginning it was complicated for many of them – especially if they were out-of-state,” Pacheco said, adding that carpooling is becoming a necessity for many.

“Yet while the commute has been better, the mutual agreement amongst us nursing students is the price of the parking pass,” Pacheco said. “I feel as if a payment plan should be offered if they are going to keep the steep prices for the years to come.”

Darby DeBonis, a junior nursing major, shared her thoughts on the new campus library. “The technology we use in the library is especially neat because students can reserve individual or group study rooms online up to a week in advance,” DeBonis said. “This method ensures a process that is much more efficient than the waitlists used to reserve study rooms at Walsh Library.”

Foley says that ideally, it would have been nice to expand the college in South Orange, but they were not able to do so.

Additionally, she said students are able to participate in an “interprofessional experience” with students from other schools, and that “teamwork and effective communication skills is a huge benefit to any healthcare provider.”

“Having our own campus at IHS has definitely been a plus in the program,” Pacheco said. She added that the classrooms at the campus, which have desks in the style of a conference room, are “extremely helpful.”

“When working on a team paper, we [teammates] were able to collaborate without making the fuss of moving around desks as we would have had to do at the South Orange campus,” she said. “The layout is modern and allows nursing and medical students to really undergo their fashion in an updated fashion.”

However, DeBonis said she thinks that the community at the new campus is not the same. “The IHS campus definitely lacks the sense of community students have on the South Orange campus because we are mainly only in the building for class and we leave right after rather than sharing meals together or studying there,” she said.

“There are certainly always growing pains, but the students are getting used to the change,” Foley said.

“Overall, things are wonderful.”

Pacheco said, “I am very happy. I feel very honored that we get to partner with Hackensack Meridian Health to have this medical school building where fields of healthcare can practice and learn.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-review-first-semester-at-ihs-campus/feed/0Pirates share hopes for December cinemahttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/pirates-share-hopes-for-december-cinema/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/pirates-share-hopes-for-december-cinema/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 04:07:08 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25344Seton Hall students shared their thoughts on some upcoming new films that will hit theaters in December, like “Aquaman,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.” Renee Nunez, a sophomore visual sound and media major, shared her excitement for these upcoming films. “I’m excited to see the movies of December,” Nunez said. Nunez said […]

]]>Seton Hall students shared their thoughts on some upcoming new films that will hit theaters in December, like “Aquaman,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.”

Photo via Flickr/Gage Skidmore

Renee Nunez, a sophomore visual sound and media major, shared her excitement for these upcoming films. “I’m excited to see the movies of December,” Nunez said.

Nunez said she is a casual moviegoer, especially when it comes to DC and Marvel releases. “In the case of the new DC and Marvel movies, it’s exciting to see the amazing production work and action in person,” she said.

Nunez explained the importance of traveling out to theaters. With platforms such as Netflix and Hulu, some students will have to wait for these recent films to be released on those platforms.

“There is a different feeling watching a film on a massive screen and enjoying it with the people around you,” Nunez said. “The theater holds more than just new movies, but more experiences and memories to come.”

Nunez enjoys the environment that a movie theater has to offer. She said she feels that these new releases are the perfect opportunity to socialize while watching some incredible works of art in the form of a film.

Tyler Soso, a sophomore visual and sound media major, said he is excited about the upcoming films. As a fan of the “Transformer” series since 2007, Soso said he expects something huge to come from the film.

“The last two films have been underwhelming in my opinion, so the new Bumblebee movie is almost like a fresh start for the series,” he said.

Another film that is highly anticipated by students has been the modern remake of “Mary Poppins,” with a cast line-up of Emily Blunt, Dick Van Dyke and Meryl Streep.

Stacy Barrantes, a sophomore education major, shared her excitement to watch some of her favorite actors hit the big stage as she has been a fan of Meryl Streep since her childhood.

“I love Meryl,” Barrantes said. “I watched ‘Julie and Julia’ a couple times when I was a kid, but I really liked Mamma Mia, I think that’s what got me into her.”

Barrantes said she was surprised to see one of her favorite actors put into a remake of a classic story. She also explained how she felt about Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. “I hadn’t really heard of her, but I did recognize her from ‘A Quiet Place.’” Barrantes said. “I feel like Mary Poppins might bring me to start watching more of whatever she’s in.”

On Nov. 12, Stan Lee, a writer and editor best known with his association with the Marvel comics, died at 96. A number of Marvel films are set to be released in the coming years and students said they are excited to see what Lee was able to create in his final years.

Soso shared his opinion on how his death will affect the public and fans of his work.

“I think Stan Lee’s passing has the potential to influence more people to go out and see the next few Marvel movies,” Soso said. “I think more people will want to go out and show support for the characters that Stan Lee gave us even more now that he is gone. I’ll definitely have him in the back of my mind when I go watch each film.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/pirates-share-hopes-for-december-cinema/feed/0Seton Hall’s Alpha Phi Alpha becomes nationally recognizedhttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/seton-halls-alpha-phi-alpha-becomes-nationally-recognized/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/seton-halls-alpha-phi-alpha-becomes-nationally-recognized/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 04:04:04 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25338The Alpha Phi Alpha chapter of Seton Hall was chartered as a nationally-recognized fraternity on Nov. 14. Alpha’s history is “complex,” said Myles White, a senior finance major and president of the chapter. White said the fraternity is “prominent, especially in the black community,” and was founded on Dec. 4, 1906, and that the chapter […]

Alpha’s history is “complex,” said Myles White, a senior finance major and president of the chapter.

White said the fraternity is “prominent, especially in the black community,” and was founded on Dec. 4, 1906, and that the chapter has long been in the process of trying to return.

Jimmy Bedoya, a sophomore marketing major, described the pitch that was given to the graduate chapter. “Right now, it was about letting them know that we were able to sustain the chapter,” Bedoya said. “The plan consisted statistics about why it’s necessary to have an impact and why this fraternity is important.”

Bedoya described his experience joining the fraternity. “I serve as a bridge between the Black and Latino organizations,” he said. “Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate fraternity for minorities was Alpha Phi Alpha which stuck out to me.”

Recently, the fraternity has done several projects. Brennan Smith, a senior sports management major and vice president of the Phi Eta chapter, said they helped provide meals on Thanksgiving morning, raised over $1,000 for the chapter and did over 100 hours of service this semester.

White explained that Alpha Phi Alpha has its main pillars, just like any other fraternity, but the way it differs is the standard which it holds its members to. “Alpha is built on scholarship, brotherhood, and academic excellence,” White said. “We want to live up to the mission of what Alpha is. We strive for leadership and the best version of each of our members.”

Smith added, “It’s something that you build. It’s an image that you hold from before you got the letters until the day you depart this world.”

One of the fraternity’s upcoming events is the multicultural expo partnership with the Martin Luther King Scholarship Application on Dec. 6. “It’s basically going to be an event where all students are encouraged to come out and enjoy some food, and a night of networking,” Bedoya said. He added that the fraternity will also be hosting a “Family Feud” game, where they hope to have at least eight teams, of which three will make it to the top of the scoreboard.

Bedoya explained the impact that Alpha Phi Alpha has had on him. “I was able to meet with a lot of brothers,” he said. “I connected with a brother from Alpha Alpha Lambda, our graduate chapter, he is a CIO for Prudential Financial, and I was able to land an internship. The fraternity has polished the leadership and scholar attributes I already had.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/seton-halls-alpha-phi-alpha-becomes-nationally-recognized/feed/0Students share the benefits of double majoringhttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-share-the-benefits-of-double-majoring/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-share-the-benefits-of-double-majoring/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 03:57:39 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25335Some students said that no major in college is a walk in the park and struggle with just one major. On the other hand, some students said that being a double major is not as bad it seems. Divina Tanamal, a junior marketing and economics major, said she never expected to double major. She said […]

]]>Some students said that no major in college is a walk in the park and struggle with just one major. On the other hand, some students said that being a double major is not as bad it seems.

Photo courtesy of Francesca Bielar

Divina Tanamal, a junior marketing and economics major, said she never expected to double major. She said that once she began to take Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics, she realized that it was difficult but she liked it.

“Double-majoring in Economics and Marketing is actually not as common of as students who major in economics and finance or marketing and management, but I really feel like economics and marketing are two broad majors that are applicable anywhere in the business world,” Tanamal said.

Tanamal says her workload is “not bad at all,” and said that Stillman students are usually encouraged to double major, or “double-concentrate” because a lot of the single business majors only require about 15 to 18 credits, so students have a lot of course spaces that can be filled up.

“Since economics and marketing are completely different subjects, it certainly spices up my schedule and the types of assignments I get,” Tanamal said. “For example, economics courses are more lecture-based and entail a lot of analysis through essay writing, while marketing courses are more project-based and can sometimes require client-facing roles.”

Francesca Bielar, a junior criminal justice and psychology major, was accepted into the psychology B.A. program. During her freshman year, she said she added criminal justice as a minor, but quickly fell in love with the material, and decided to make it her second major.

“I found myself excited to wake up for my 9 a.m. Criminal Justice in Modern America class with Dr. R.J. Maratea,” Bielar said.

Bielar mentioned the crossing over of majors as well and said there are lots of ways to “double-dip” when registering for classes, as a class can count for both majors.

“There are definitely times that are harder than others,” Bielar said. “Some nights I have a psychology lab report, a quiz and an assignment for a psychology class and a project in one of my criminal justice classes.”

However, Bielar said she has learned how to manage her time. “I try my best to do a lot of work over the weekend, especially when I know the upcoming week I will have an exam or large assignment due,” she said.

Overall, Tanamal finds that she is placed in a position where she can interact with more students outside of Stillman school, as one can be an economics major in either the College of Arts and Sciences or the business school.

“I find it pretty cool because I get to hear different perspectives on similar topics,” Tanamal said. “I have to say that economics is definitely a difficult major. However, I am also surrounded by incredibly smart students and that is a really motivating environment for me.”

Eugenia Utoyo, a junior diplomacy major, also shared her insights on being a double major.

“In my opinion, whether students should take or not take another major depends on their own interests in college,” Utoyo said. “I believe that it is beneficial if they have a goal of merging both fields later on in the future. Personally, I would not do a double major because of the coursework involved and my limited slots for credits.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/students-share-the-benefits-of-double-majoring/feed/0Seton Hall students share their Christmas traditionshttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/seton-hall-students-share-their-christmas-traditions/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/seton-hall-students-share-their-christmas-traditions/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2018 03:54:02 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25331Now that the holiday season has begun, people from all walks of life are planning festivities to celebrate their cultures. SHU students celebrate in a variety of ways and for different reasons. Freshman biophysical therapy major Jenna Eoga said her family celebrates Christmas and all Catholic/American holidays. Eoga said her family is Italian and every […]

]]>Now that the holiday season has begun, people from all walks of life are planning festivities to celebrate their cultures. SHU students celebrate in a variety of ways and for different reasons.

Kiera Alexander/Asst. Photograhy Editor

Freshman biophysical therapy major Jenna Eoga said her family celebrates Christmas and all Catholic/American holidays. Eoga said her family is Italian and every Christmas Eve they have the traditional dinner of the seven fishes at her grandma’s. Eoga said her family celebrates Christmas day at either her house or her aunt’s. Eoga said some of her favorite things about the holidays are getting to relax, spending time with family, and going to New York City to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

Eoga said the best gift she ever gave someone was a picture of a good high school friend and herself, along with multiple things that help her friend relax, to her friend before they were separated for college.

Eoga said her friend is in Boston while she is at SHU. “It’s like a piece of me went with her,” Eoga said.

Senior public relations major Micalda Francillon said that she celebrates Christmas. Francillon said one tradition she said she has is having a Nerf gun war. Francillon said this tradition started when her son got a Nerf gun for Christmas the first Christmas they spent in their new apartment. The apartment was empty and they ran around having a Nerf war and have had a Nerf war every Christmas since she said.

Francillon said that even though shopping around Christmas is crazy, she loves that people are looking for the perfect gift for someone special. Francillon said she loves the environment of people coming together. She added that two of the best gifts she has received were her IPad and Uggs.

Hershita Kaushik, a senior computer science major, said she celebrates all American and Indian holidays.

Kaushik said one Indian festival that she celebrates is Diwali that normally falls in October/November.

She said she also celebrates Christmas, but not in the traditional way.

Kaushik said during the holidays her family gets together, plays video games, and her nieces and nephews give her goofy makeovers. She continued by saying that the best gift someone ever gave her was given to her by a young child at the Taekwondo School where she teaches at. Kaushik said a young girl came into the school, but wouldn’t step onto the mat to train. Kaushik said when the little girl asked her what she wanted for Christmas she told her she wanted her to step on the mat and train with her.

Kaushik said she pretended to give up and be content with the girl staying in the corner when the little girl stepped away from her mom and onto the mat with Kaushik. She added that little girl is now competing in competitions and is amazing at taekwondo. Kaushik said the best gift she ever gave was bone marrow to a friend who was battling leukemia.

Kaushik said she got tested to see if she was a match and didn’t tell anyone until she found out she was, and told her friend and her family she would give bone marrow just a couple days before Christmas.

Kaushik said, “I’d rather have someone give me their blessings during Christmas time than give me a gift, like a thousand dollar gift, and not have it mean something, but rather give me just one blessing or keep me in their prayer which means the world to me.”

]]>http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/12/05/seton-hall-students-share-their-christmas-traditions/feed/0SHU choir readies for last concerthttp://www.thesetonian.com/2018/11/28/shu-choir-readies-for-last-concert/
http://www.thesetonian.com/2018/11/28/shu-choir-readies-for-last-concert/#respondThu, 29 Nov 2018 03:28:11 +0000http://www.thesetonian.com/?p=25257The Seton University Chorus, Chamber Choir, Orchestra and Concert Band will be performing at the annual Seton Hall Winter Concert on Dec. 4 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC). Jason Tramm, director of choral activities, will conduct both the choir and the orchestra. Charles Yassky will direct the concert band. “We’re both very […]

]]>The Seton University Chorus, Chamber Choir, Orchestra and Concert Band will be performing at the annual Seton Hall Winter Concert on Dec. 4 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC).

Kiera Alexander/Asst. Photography Editor

Jason Tramm, director of choral activities, will conduct both the choir and the orchestra. Charles Yassky will direct the concert band. “We’re both very excited to showcase this ensemble’s talent and their hard work, while also having a nice time to celebrate the holidays,” Tramm said.

One piece Tramm said he is enthusiastic for is “Song of the Universal” by composer Ola Gjeilo. He said the orchestra will also be performing the piece at Saint Bartholomew’s Church in New York City after being selected to play in their prestigious 2018-19 season.

“I am very proud of it because it was most challenging and we worked the whole semester on it,” Tramm said. “We really tried to bring that to the audience, and they will also be performing holiday songs.”

Yassky said he is excited to showcase all the hard work the students put in this semester into making the concert a wonderful experience. “You need some music, it wouldn’t be the holiday season if you didn’t start opening the doors to music,” Yassky said. “We’re doing a variety of music styles. SOPAC is a very nice space, it has got fine acoustics and it is not too big so it can be an intimate space for the community.”

Yassky described the different musical styles that will be performed, like classic British music, music from composer George Gershwin and more. He added, “We also have selections from the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, which most people have heard at some point in their lives.”

The band will also perform “Ashokan Farewell,” the theme song of the infamous series Civil War by Ken Bern.

“All the songs have their own challenges,” Yassky said. “’The Nutcracker, from a classical and technical perspective, is challenging in contrast to Gershwin, which note-wise may not be as hard but is a completely different style. It’s like in one piece you are speaking one language and in the next you are speaking a completely different tongue, so that is one challenge of this concert, the switch of styles.”

Tien Phan, a sophomore diplomacy major, shared his thoughts on the upcoming concert as a performing member of the choir. “I’m excited for the concert because it’s the last concert before the end of the semester,” Phan said. “It gives the students involved a chance to perform for not only the student body, but also the village community.”

Phan said he is especially excited for the orchestra’s performance of “Song of the Universal,” which he finds both challenging and beautiful. “It’s a song that reflects on the nature of the world, it can be peaceful and chaotic at the same time, which is interesting,” he said. “Rehearsals have been well and everyone is working hard to learn these songs for the holiday spirit.”

Yassky encouraged students to join the band and become part of next year’s performance. “We have grown a lot this year, and we are always looking for new members and you can take the course for credits or not,” Yassky said. “One thing about our music department is that you really have a center for friends who have a common interest and it is a family within a family.”